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Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late '70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the ... Read more in Amazon's Dire Straits Store

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Product Description

Product Description

On Every Street

Amazon.co.uk

A strain of deep ennui pervades this, the sixth (and, to date, final) studio album from one of the most wildly successful bands of the 1980s. This time, though, it's the sound of an older, rather less inspired songwriter: from the amiable R&B of "Calling Elvis", to the modest countrified picking of "How Long", Mark Knopfler seems to have left his rock inclinations far behind--allowing himself only a token indulgence, on the lumbering, "Heavy Fuel". It's not a complete waste of time: his guitar work, while untethered to anything especially interesting, remains evocative; and the best track here--the sexually-belligerent, richly atmospheric "You And Your Friend"--recalls the dark view of human relations (and the splendid dobro lead work) he featured on "Private Investigations". But for the most part, this is the sound of a man losing interest in his own life. --Andrew McGuire

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

On Every Street" itself is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, bittersweet and filled with unrequited longing, and illustrates Mark Knopfler's desire to convey "the essential loneliness of a lot of life experience".

"You and Your Friend" is truly erotic! You can feel a slow and sensual buildup that becomes almost unbearable with the bass turned high. Crank this one up with a special lady friend on a chill winter evening with the fireplace roaring, all you gentlemen out there, and let the fun begin!

While the more recognizable hits on this album are "Heavy Fuel" and "Calling Elvis", which are quite good, these other songs would be my faves, along with the ironic "My Parties", the hilariously satirical "Ticket to Heaven", and the mini-jazz riff "Fade to Black".

To listen to this album is to love Dire Straits in their twilight, the end of a beautiful era...

Fans were eagerly awaiting a successor to Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits' landmark commercial triumph. It eventually came in the form of On Every Street. In the end it was not particularly warmly received. Many years had passed since Brothers and Dire Straits had disappeared from the spotlight. On Every Street is a very good album, nonetheless, and there isn't a bad song on here. Knopfler's guitar work is good but not exceptional (I felt that he only really excelled himself as a guitarist on two songs anyway: Sultans of Swing and Lady Writer). His vocals and lyrics, however, were never better than on this album. It is a melancholy album in nature and this theme seems to lead Knopfler to some of his best songwriting on a record. The piano based titletrack is excellent (reminiscent of the song Love Over Gold), You and Your Friend and Heavy Fuel are a bit raunchy, My Parties is a humorous take on high society, Calling Elvis is cleverly written and Ticket to Heaven sounds like something from the fifties. All in all, a quality album and although there isn't a bad song on here, you feel that Knopfler was tiring of his time with the band so it's probably just as well that On Every Street was Dire Straits' epitaph.

Dire Straits' last album is neither of Brothers in Arms nor Love Over Gold proportions. It is nevertheless, a good, reflective album by a band that were becoming a bit wearied of rock 'n' roll but were still determined to make the most out of their consummate musicianship for one final album. There isn't a bad song on this album: Calling Elvis is clever lyrically and My Parties is Mark Knopfler's jazzy, smooth assault on high society. The best tracks are the titletrack, Fade to Black, Planet of New Orleans, You and Your Friend and Iron Hand; the latter two wouldn't have seemed out of place on Brothers in Arms, and Iron Hand is my personal favourite on the album, reminiscent of The Man's Too Strong.

It's interesting to read the contrasting points of view on this album. I had loved the Love Over Gold and Alchemy Albums, but I lost interest in the band in the 80's due to the over-exposure of the rather sterile "Brothers In Arms". A few years ago, a friend played "On Every Street" to me, and I was ready to dismiss the album. I had, after all, heard some of the singles when they came out... "Heavy Fuel" had seemed like a direct attempt to follow up Money For Nothing and The Bug was like a poor relation of Walk Of Life. Dire Straits were obviously just milking a formula...

I was wrong, of course. The choice of singles is perplexing, as they are probably the weakest tracks on the album, though they actually all work well in the context of the rest of the tracks. The production is absolutely stunning. Dire Straits had been all over the place production-wise in the past - contrast the flat sound of the early albums with the harsh and dated "Love Over Gold" and the clinical and detached sound of Brothers In Arms. Here, they get it exactly right - the playing is as precise as ever, but has a more spontaneous feel, and the production had tremendous depth and clarity. For all those hi-fi bores out there (me included) it is the ideal CD to get the best from your system.

Included here are some of Dire Straits' best ever songs, including the lush strings of Ticket To Heaven and the atmospheric Iron Hand. Highlight of the album and for me, the best thing the band ever recorded is You and Your Friend. The murmured lyrics ruminate on the aftermath of a failed relationship against an initially sparse and restrained arrangement.Read more ›

Dire Straits took a long rest after their 1985 smash hit album Brothers in Arms but eventually returned to record a new album for the nineties. This album seems less imaginative than their previous work and Knopfler's style on this album is very relaxed compared to the style that had been his trademark previously. Dire Straits original style was evident for their first three albums but by Love over Gold they had slowed down a bit and changed their style a little. This was probably down to their beginning to record in more expensive studios. But I won't criticise because On Every Street is a great album, even though it feels like a different Dire Straits. Many of the tracks on here have a slow, country style. Calling Elvis and Heavy Fuel are incisive songs written with great wit about a desperate alcoholic and My Parties is Knopfler's cynical take on wasteful and carefree high society living. The title-track is one of the most moving songs the Straits have recorded and Knopfler's vocals on the album are great, if perhaps his playing is more subdued than on previous albums.